malinmaskros

I sent two packages today, to Pei on her birthday, and to Anjali. Hope they´ll enjoy them!

But even better - two packages came to me today!

First: wonderful pinky/beige handspun alpackayarn and a lovelysmelling soap from my SP in Canada. Very, very nice, thank you SP!


Then: a big package from Pei in Australia, which had just about everything in it. Some very kawaii stuff: stickers (I love Cinnamoroll!), stationary (the kind I really love), pencils, mobile-charms, keyring... Then a bag (I told you, I love bags!), yummy candy and very pretty felt sushi she made for me. The picture speeks for itself - I can´t describe all this goodness in merely words. Thanks Pei, you rock!


I, on the other hand, don´t rock that much. I never oversleep. Ever. Until this morning, when the alarmclock never went off. I woke up at eight o´clock, when I should be at work. Which ment that I weren´t there until 45 minutes later. I HATE being late! Usually I wake up at seven every morning, yesterday I had to watch Mr. Romance (Romance Academy) until midnight, so I slept in... But I had to see Mr. Romance, it was the last episode, and I loved the programme. So kitschy and bad taste, that you had to love it! Finding the new Fabio - actually, I´d be happy if they lost the old Fabio...

I´m knitting another pair of mittens (only half-) of the brown/green/blue alpacayarn, that should be just about how much yarn I have left. I´ll probably give them away, but I´m not sure to who.

I made some more felt food, to be given away. The package is to be sent off this week, to reach Kwoozy in time for her birthday, and I think I´m pretty much done with it. Maybe another little thingy, maybe not. I´m having a hard time deciding when enough is enough. Anjali´s package is almost done, I´m waiting for a book to arrive, and then I´ll buy some chocolate perhaps, and then off to Japan.

Some days the phone is basically dead, and some days it´s ringing off the hook. This morning was definately a ringing day, and everybody called at least twice too. Miss Popularity, that´s me. Actually, that´s quite strange, because I can be the most non-social person you could ever imagine. Obviously that´s an attractiv feature in a person, I did not know that... At the same time, my sisters says, the reason I´m single is that I´m not a nice person. I wish people could make up their mind!

I got a package this morning! A very nice mailman came knocking with a very nice package from Catherine. Inside, there was a pretty, pretty beaded, vintagy bag, containing chocolate from Trader Joe´s and a very retro looking gum.  Thank you, Catherine, for giving me such nice things!


I spent last night and this morning, sewing swap presents. What I can tell you, is that making felt stuffies is very addictive! I bought some felt this weekend, but obviously not enough, not by a long shot. I need to buy more, and in more colours.

If you feel like I do, that you need more felt stuffies in your life, try one of these links:

http://www.craftster.org/forum/index.php?topic=26836.0/
http://www.craftster.org/forum/index.php?topic=85141.msg803115;topicseen#msg803115
http://www.craftster.org/forum/index.php?topic=63399.0
http://5.pro.tok2.com/~mic/sub/dessert.html
http://5.pro.tok2.com/~mic/sub/fruit.html
http://mollychicken.blogs.com/my_weblog/2005/11/anna_panda.html
http://www.flickr.com/search/?q=%22felt+food%22&m=text
http://www.flickr.com/search/?q=%22felt+stuffies%22&m=text

I´m at my sisters house, posting pictures. My skills are improving some, some pics are actually sharp! (Though many still aren´t...) Scroll down a bit, and you´ll see my lovely package from Babs, which unfortunately is the only one I have to post about.

I bought some crafty stuff at Panduro yesterday, things for Kwoozys birthday present among other things. It´s halfway done!

I´m thinking of how to make a Moomin pincushion, or something like that, but it is too small! My fingers won´t co-operate in that tiny fashion, so I wonder - does anyone have any Moomin patterns? Felt figures, amigurumi, something?

We went to Rosendals Trädgårdar (Rosendal´s Gardens) yesterday too. That´s definately one of Stockholms highlights, pretty gardens, green houses, an organic shop and a fabulous cafè, where I had feta cheese sallad in the yummiest manor. If you ever go to Stockholm - go there!

I don´t know what to write. I could do some swapwriting (am shopping fabric for Anjali today, am doing a birthdayswap with Kwoozy), but I´ve written so much swappy stuff, that I must be boring you non-swappers to death. I told you that it was addictive, though...

I could tell you that my knitting is coming to life, a little bit anyway, but it´s not that writeworthy.

I could talk about my crappy finanses, but I do that with my friends already, and you shouldn´t have to listen. Besides, they´re much my fault, since I spend way too much on things like swaps. Addictive, I tell you!

I could rant on about the fabulous craft books I´m buying, but I´ve said that before. But I think the second one on my "to buy"-list is a hit, with felted animals, foods, and a felted toilet. Believe it if you will...

So I´ll just spend the five minutes I have left reading blogs, I suggest you do the same, since I don´t have that much to offer.

Kwoozy got her package too, no pictures yet, but you can see the nice things she makes, some of which I hope to recieve in a couple of weeks or so. She said she liked it too. It´s really good that I almost enjoy giving more than getting! Still, I keep my fingers crossed, maybe there´s something for me too when I get home. What almost feels like a present, is that I remembered to buy my allergymedicine today - no more sneezing! And it feels a little like fall outside, it rains a bit, and it´s a bit cooler. Can´t wait for the real fall, my favourite time of the year!

Not me, silly. I don´t get my packages, oh no. But Catherine and Babs got theirs. They haven´t posted any pictures yet, but who knows, it may come, so if you´re interested in what I sent, take a look later!

A new order from YesAsia is prepared (it may be added on). Again. But it´s my birthday soon, and I´m getting so old, that I don´t get presents anymore. If I don´t buy them, that is. What can I say? Happy birthday to me!

These are coming in September:

  

 

In the mailbox, this wonderful book arrived from Babs in California. By my revue, you can tell, that I loved it!

 

soba ni oitene honobono nuigurumi ISBN452904114X An absolutely fantastic book, of both amigurumi and nuigurumi, and I can definately think of some things do do from it. I can´t tell you my favourites, because they all are. Lovely, and a must buy!

One down, four to go! I got a package today! Very nice Babs from California sent me some lovely, lovely things: a wonderful Japanese craft book, a pretty Hello Kitty coin purse, a Japanese bag (and I LOVE bags!) and some candy and snacks. I loved it!



My SP says she hasn´t lost an international package yet, and promises this won´t get lost either. I hope and pray that she knows what she´s talking about, the package contains handspun alpaca yarn - that´s some good stuff! I´d hate for it to get wasted on those damn polar bears.

My SP spoilee got her package though, and now the cat is out of the bag, I can tell you her name is Genevieve and she´s from Washington DC, she blogs here: http://www.princessgenevieveknits.blogspot.com/. She said she liked my package!

I´ve got five (FIVE!) package somewhere on the globe, coming my way. Why, o why don´t I get any? Packages from Lizzy and SP were sent almost two weeks ago - are the mailman carrying them by foot, all the way from Canada and Singapore? This is totally giving me grey hairs (oh, wait - I started getting those when I turned 30), I can only imagine two fabulous package somewhere on the Arctic tundra, being eaten by polar bears. Polar bears suck.

Anyone remember the kitchen furniture from hell? The ones that have occupied my hall for almost a year? IT´S GONE! Praise the lord, halleluja, and all that. And I got paid - 500SEK (about $65), which I didn´t thing I would get until they were sold. That meant I had a (mostly) nice day in Stockholm, eating Indian food (mmmm....) and seeing Pirates of the Carribean: Dead man´s chest. The food was great and the movie so much fun.

On the plus-side too: Anyone remember the beaded wristwarmer, also from hell (yes, I think they are related)? The one who has been ripped, and ripped again, and then banned to the naughty basket. Well, it´s done, and it co-operated very well indeed. I am much pleased.

And even brighter:  I´ve been hoping for a swap with the swap-queen herself, Anjali from Japan, and YAY, now it´s on! I´m sure she´ll find me something nice, I only hope that I can match that. So far I´ve got good revues on my packages, but the luck may turn. Luck has a habit of doing just that.

And way down low: Still no packages. I´m crossing my fingers like a maniac, hoping they haven´t got lost in the mail. I know the shipping can take a while, and I hope that´s all it is.

Ending off with one last good thing: I´m knitting again, that was some time ago. I had two hanks of lightblue/brown/a little green alpaca yarn, which had been laying around forever, and now they are becoming vey nice mittens, which will go very nice with my new navyblue fall-jacket.

I´ve been impatiently waiting all week for my packages to arrive, but nooo. (Ok, I got my books from YesAsia, that counts for a little). Next week I hope for anything between 2 to 4 packages. Wrong. I hope for 4 packages.

I shopped for and sent four packages yesterday (Santa´s little helper, that´s me), for my SP, and for Kwoozy, Babs and Catherine. Now comes the nervous waiting part...

Some new books in the mail from YesAsia.

 puchi a puchi chitsuchiyana beatachi no sasayaki anano kafue ISBN4052014170

This is actually a childrens picture book, but with these übercute Ananö-bears, it´s for anyone who appriciates really cute stuff!



 

kawaii kuchiyu ru rime ku okiniiri no hankachi ya se ta o tsukatsute sekai de hitotsu no fukuzukuri  ISBN4579110250 If you want ideas on how to transform your wardrobe, you´ve found a  nice book. It begins with the basic scarf, t-shirt and handkerchief, and elaborates from that. The style is quite young and Japanese cute/boho, which I actually really like.

mamegurumi nuigurumi no chiisana chiisana wankotachi ISBN4579108884

The absolutely cutest little dogs you can imagine, all for you to make. The book presents several diffrent breeds (including my favourite, the bullterrier, yay!), and some accessories for them. You got to love this book!


mamemame gekijiyou wanko mo gutsuzu mo tsukuremasu  ISBN4579109368

Another "teeny-dog"-book, basically the same lay up as the previous, but with more accessories. Need I to say that I love this one too?

As you all know, I´m waiting for packages from YesAsia, my SP and Lizzy this week. Next week I should get packages from Catherine (a beaded vintagy bag filled with goodies!) and Babs. I really look forward to them all! Myself, I won´t keep them waiting for too long, I´m going GYS-shopping tomorrow, and shopping the last for my SP too. This is taking up a HUGE chunk of my budget, but it´s totally worth it! I love getting little pieces of the world in my mailbox! I had hoped to get me some today, but no, the mailman didn´t treat me that good. A note on the upcoming election, that is what I got. And I already know how to vote, so what good did that do me?

This decision, to blog in English, has worked wonders with my English skills (which has been somewhat resting since school, and that was way back), and my English typing (did you know it´s really different to type in another language, the letters keep moving). All I need now is someone to talk English to, and I´m right back on track... Oh, then I should pick a language, British or American, I know I mix them ruthlessly.

How bad is it, when you´re dreaming of crocheting? I dreamt that I was making a crochet bus for someone I used to work with. The idea itself isn´t bad, but I wish I´d dream of something better. Like chocolate cake.

I made a tiny amigurumi turtle in candy cotton yarn the other day, for Kwoozy, who likes turtles and pastel colours. To birds in one stone!

I dream of a package or two in the mail when I get home from work! 

I´m actually at my nephew´s birthdayparty right now, but a bunch of kids, their moms and me... So I snuck of for a little moment. Thank god for my sisters computer....

Babs has bought me a really nice Japanese craft book (I haven´t got it yet, I only know which one it is), which just make me long for the whole thing to arrive even more. Have I mentioned lately how great GYS is?

Lizzy got her package last Friday, and if you look at her blog you´ll see how lovely she looks in the dress I sent her. She says she likes it!

Those of you who have been reading me for a while, know of my difficulties recieving my Interweave Knits-magazines. They haven´t showed up, they have been late, and they had to ship some issues several times. Yesterday I finally got my last issue, and pretty much on time. I have also, long overdue, gotten all the previous issues to. And, every re-shipped issue is dropping in, months after their shipment. So now I´m drowning in Interweave Knits... Truly the ketchup effect! I will most definately not subscribe again´, and I don´t recommend it to anyone else, not in Sweden anyway. You can subscribe via Press-stop. I haven´t tried them, but they can´t be worse.

and I´m loving it! I´ve got a few more swaps going on, I feel I might have to organize it somehow, to keep track of everybody. Ongoing is Lizzy from Singapore (I´ve sent my package and am waiting for hers), Kwoozy from Australia. New is Babs from California, Catherine from LA and Jenn from Japan, and waiting til September is Rachele from Japan.  Phew! I´ve said it before, but I´ll say it again - you MUST try Gimme Your Stuff! You just list what you have to offer, and what you want, and then contact other swappers, or wait for someone to contact you. Easy as that! Me, I look forward to next week, then I´ll go shop for Kwoozy and Babs, and perhaps Catherine. The giving is as much fun as the getting! That´s probably why I love Christmas, since these days I do a lot more giving than getting. That´s how it is, when you get older, and still is single. No one to spoil you... Maybe that´s why I LOVE these swaps?

At home, I´m strangely lazy and lacking of busy hands. The only thing on any needle is a little "candy"amigurumi, and I don´t have much inspiration or drive to do much else. On the other hand, if it took so long for the summer draught to set in, it´s a wonder, usually it comes with the summer heat, and now I´m counting down to autumn. How I wish for cooler weather...

I´m re-reading "The lord of the rings" (again), and it´s still one of the best books ever. And after seeing the films about fifteen times (at least), I read the books diffrently, looking for the films in the books. Usually it´s not a good idea, the films always loose, but this time it´s working. They did an excellent job filming the books! And I´ve been in love with Legolas since I was about 12, now Éomer is growing on me... (mmm, Karl Urban...)

I just wanted to show you what I´m waiting so impatiently for, so here´s some pictures from the mamewanko-books on their way:

  
   
  

(click on the bookcovers, and you´ll find the original picture posts)

And you wonder why I can´t wait!

Within the next week, I hope to recieve three (yes, three!) in a week or so. Package from my  SP, from Lizzy and from YesAsia. What have I done to deserve such bountyfulness?

I just mailed Lizzy´s package to Singapore, hope she´ll like it! And I got mail from my SP, my package should be on it´s way this week, wonderful! How´s that for short and sweet?

I went to Stockholm today, to buy the last things for Lizzy´s package, I hope to mail it tomorrow. Then I was feeling so insecure about my top, so I had to go shop for another one. Fortunately it´s sales all over, so I got a tunic and a t-shirt for 115SEK  (15USD), a total bargain! And I felt much better afterwards... Feeling fat is an all-consuming feeling, you can´t think of anything else, and can´t stop togging at your clothes. I hate that. Being fat is one thing, feeling fat is a totally diffrent thing.

Then I went to the Japanese bookshop, looking for craft books, but alas, no luck. (How ancient is that word, "alas" - does anybody ever use it anymore?) But - I found candy! To kinds of Hello Kitty candy, strawberry Pocky, and a small mix-pack of Meji chocolate. They had the great wasabipeas Charlene sent from California, so if I ever get the urge, I know where to find them. Goody! And they had some Hello Kitty stuff, too, I bought stickers, but there were knick knacks of all kind. I´ll be back!

Not much blogging going on this last week, I´ve been home sick. Poor me... And yesterday I spent the most part of the day and all evening in the emergencyroom with my friend, who was having major stomachpains. Poor thing. And after sitting there for eight hours, they sent us home on the train, 10PM. Swedish healthcare is great...

I´ve got another swappingpartner, Kwoozy from Australia, who makes the cutest things, I look forward to getting her package (and making her one). And speaking of packages and making, I just made a Hello Kitty-purse for my SP, and a handbag in vintage fabric for Lizzy in Singapore. Hope they like them!

I started on socks, using the "candy"cotton my SP sent me, but didn´t like how they turned out, and ripped my half-finished sock. Now I´ve made two tiny amigurumis using the yarn, and they turned out really cute, so I´ll definitely make more of them.

I thought I´d finally get rid of the kitchen furniture in my hall last Monday, but they never picked them up. I´m starting to think they´re cursed - they´ve been standing there since last November, and I can´t get rid of them! Me not having a car is definitly a problem!

Today it´s finally raining! After weeks of hot summer weather, it´s finally raining! And it´s not hot either, so I´m loving it!